4 former NFL head coaches Jacksonville Jaguars must pursue

The Jacksonville Jaguars could bring in a former division foe.

Bill O’Brien the general manager got Bill O’Brien the head coach fired, as he was simply atrocious when it came to making personnel decisions. He had a penchant for giving away draft picks in return for marginal players. The last straw came in 2020 when he traded All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a fourth-round pick to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson and a second-round selection.

On the other hand, the Massachusetts native led some good Houston Texans teams. In his eight-year tenure with the team, he only had two losing seasons and won four AFC South championships. In the same span, the Jaguars have qualified for the playoffs just once, so O’Brien certainly deserves credit for having the Texans play at a high level.

Moreover, his time in Houston isn’t an outlier. He was the Nittany Lions head coach at arguably the worst time in school history. Penn State had just gone through a child abuse scandal and the program had been sanctioned with a four-year postseason ban and lost 40 scholarships over a four-year span.

Regardless of the penalties, O’Brien led Penn State to a 15-9 record during his two-year tenure and has shown he can lead a program in the midst of adversity. As long as nobody lets him get near the draft war room, he should excel in his next stop as a head coach.